Sleeping Beauty

The Sleeping Beauty Turquoise mine is located near Globe, Arizona. Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is known for its solid sky blue color and lack of host rock matrix. However, natural Sleeping Beauty turquoise can come in a variety of shades and even include a dark host rock and pyrite. This mine skyrocketed to popularity in the 1970s and has become one of the most famous turquoise mines in the Southwest. The pale, clear blue colors offered by the Sleeping Beauty mine have become a staple in Native American jewelry.

The mine claim is named after a nearby mountain, which resembles a woman sleeping on her back. Like many of the older Turquoise mines, the claim was originally for producing copper and gold. Due to rising costs to access the turquoise deposit, the Sleeping Beauty mine was closed around 2012. All Sleeping Beauty turquoise that you see available on the market was mined prior to this date.

Read more about the Sleeping Beauty mine on our blog post here.